How to make any SH3 DVD work on Windows 10

[DEF_FIEDLER]

After the big - and not unexpected - success of my instructions in How to run STEAM-SH3-V1.6b-GWX-WIDESCREEN on Win10 I've been asked to write something up about DVDs. DVDs? Yes, on release SH3 had been shipped on DVD. Yes, those round things with a hole in the middle...

Now the good news: You can make ANY DVD work on Win10. No matter what type, what kind, what brand your DVD is and where you bought it from: It will work on Windows 10. That means you can make ANY of those old SH3-DVDs work or even buy one on ebay: EBAY ENGLISH or EBAY DEUTSCH!

I repeat once more: This works for ALL versions of Windows (I've got Win 10 here) and with ANY DVD!

The following instructions presume that you comply with these prerequisites:
- you must have bought an original DVD.
- you must be able to unpack a file using 7zip
- you must not leave anything out or leave it to do for 'later'
- you must follow the instructions in the exact order they're written in
- before you vent any frustration read the FAQ, it's there for a reason!

I've got a folder called SH3 on my E: drive, where I've got everything SH3-related (installations, tools, all that) and in there I've got a folder called DOWNLOADS, so I've downloaded the following items into E:\SH3\DOWNLOADS:
- UBiSOFT SH3 1.4 Update Patch
- JSGME
- Commander
- Front-End version 1.7.9.81b or later - read the S3F-instructions! They help a lot! And you don't need old 4GBpatch, it's already included!
- GWX
- GWX-specific 'supplemental files'
- Conus-Widescreen for resolution 1360x768 and 1366x768
- Ahnenerbe-Widescreen for resolution 1920x1080


OK, let's begin the show...


STEP 01: INSTALL SH3 FROM YOUR DVD
Begin installation of SH3 as normal and like any other game you install from a DVD, BUT change the installation-path so you do NOT install to the default path "Program Files (x86)". Always guide the installer to a custom path that is NOT controlled by Windows and its UAC. In my directory it's 'E:\SH3\Silent Hunter III-original'.
DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID!
DON'T INSTALL GAME SHADOW!
DON'T REBOOT THE COMPUTER!
DON'T RUN THE GAME!

STEP 02: MAKE SURE IT'S VERSION 1.4b
Unlike the "BUY-AND-DOWNLOAD-INSTALLS" such as the one from STEAM where you get it already updated to V1.4b, DVD-installations need to be taken care of with this extra step, but worry not, it's totally simple if you unpack "UBiSOFT SH3 1.4 Update Patch" and run the one that matches what DVD you got, for example you bought it in USA, then you execute "...US". Easy? Easy!
If you get "This program cannot update the installed version of Silent Hunter III because of the following reason: ...<some filename here>: unknown.version." or a file like that then all is good, only that error message is wrong. It tells you that your SH3-version does not need to be patched further. All is good. Exit the updater.
NOTE: The Ubisoft-guys did not get the version numbering right. Their own patch SAYS it is V1.3, but it actually is V1.4: The update-file is named "silent_hunter_3_dvd_1.4b_XXXX.exe", but you run it it says that it is the 1.0 to 1.3 update. Ignore that! It is the fault of the Ubisoft-developers, not yours!

STEP 03: APPLY THE STARFORCE-FIX
Unlike the "BUY-AND-DOWNLOAD-INSTALLS" such as the one from STEAM many DVDs "from back then" usually install this darned copy-protection called "STARFORCE" which won't work on nowadays systems. An indepth explanation about this can be found in the S3F-documentation. All you must do is run S3F_SFSF.and apply the STARFORCE-FIX. Takes less than 2 minutes. Easy? Easy! By taking this step you are never going to get the error "This application can be launched with a release version of Microsoft Windows 95 OSR2.1/98/ME/NT 4.0/2000/XP/Server 20003 only".

So simply tell your antivirus-software to shut-up and let the tool do its job, run S3F_SFSF.EXE as administrator and let it connect to the net by allowing it through your firewall. That tool is being updated frequently, so it connects to the server and tells you about a new version. And in the forthcoming menu select to APPLY STARFORCE-FIX.

After taking these steps that are only necessary for DVD-versions, you can now use my instructions in How to run STEAM-SH3-V1.6b-GWX-WIDESCREEN on Win10 FROM STEP 02 ONWARDS. The rest is the same.